Catherine searched for an escape. Before she could prepare a defense, John had confiscated her gun and forced her and her sisters to sit in a row on the settee. So much for her grand plans of confronting the leader of the Masked Gang and ensuring he ended up behind bars in the local jail. Instead, he’d trumped any ace she’d held in her hand and held them in a precarious situation.
Corbin had been right. She should never have tried to handle things herself.
The fact that John now held them all at gunpoint wasn’t the only problem she faced. What if Audrey didn’t wait for her signal and ended up walking into the trap as well? And then there was Emily’s baby, who apparently had no intention of waiting for a more opportune time to arrive. Catherine glanced at Emily’s swollen stomach and sent up an extra prayer of petition because, quite frankly, aiding her sister in the childbirth process was not something she was prepared to handle. She understood numbers and mathematics, not the complexities of bringing a child into the world.
Though helping her sister seemed the least of her worries at the moment.
John, William, or whatever his real name, had some insane belief that her father had struck it rich and had brought a fortune with him back to Revenge. But the truth seemed to matter little to John. And if he had his way, she expected him to kill them all before this was over. A thought that brought with it another large dose of panic.
Out of all her options, the voice of sympathy seemed her best ally, but she wasn’t sure it would be enough ammunition. “Emily needs the doctor.”
Catherine eased from her seat then stopped as John aimed the gun her direction.
“John, please.” Lily sobbed beside her. “You can’t do this—”
“No one is going anywhere until I get some answers.” John’s hard gaze was anything but benevolent. “And besides, from the way I look at things, a baby on the way gives all three of you a bit more motivation to talk, don’t you think?”
Catherine grasped her sisters’ hands, her fear quickly turning to anger. “I don’t know what you want from us, because we’ve told you that there isn’t any money.”
John leaned back in his chair, seemingly confident that there was no immediate danger of anyone coming to capture him. Something Catherine feared was correct. With Corbin incapacitated and his best men dead, it seemed unlikely that an imminent rescue party would arrive and put the felon where he belonged. “I happen to know your father actually made quite a fortune.”
Catherine didn’t buy his declaration. Especially since the con man Corbin had described had been full of tall tales and lies. “How would you know about an alleged fortune when he never mentioned it to any of us?”
“I happened to be in Alaska last fall where I was presented with a unique opportunity.”
Catherine leaned forward. “What kind of opportunity?”
“I overheard a conversation one night between your father and his business partner about how their luck had finally turned and realized that I’d just struck gold.” The arrogant smile on John’s face widened, as if he were enjoying the confession. “I had planned to dispose of both men and take the gold, but after his partner died in an unfortunate accident, your father vanished with the money.”
“You killed his partner?”
John shrugged. “I knew Isaiah Morgan was from Revenge, so I decided to come here, figuring he’d show up at some point.”
“And in the meantime, made sure you had access to our family.” Catherine’s stomach roiled.
John paced the room in front of them. “I know he arrived here with the money, and I intend to find it.”
Catherine felt trapped. Emily’s labored breathing continued beside her, while Lily sobbed on the other side. How had she ever let this bank robber and con man weasel his way into the Morgan home?
“So the money is why you came to Revenge?”
“It was simple, really. Ohio not only provided new territory for the Masked Gang, it was also a chance for some easy money.”
Catherine had to stall for time. The longer they took, the greater the chance of someone showing up with help. Corbin might be injured, but he knew that John was a murderer and that she’d gone on her own to confront him.
She squeezed Emily’s hand. “Can you hang in there a bit longer?”
Emily nodded and Catherine turned back to John. “What about Harrison then? How did he play into this drama of yours?”
“Harrison turned out to be the perfect scapegoat, with his wild stories about the Alaskan frontier. All it took were a few well-placed red herrings to point the sheriff in the wrong direction.”
“And you killed my father?”
“Your father was foolish enough to deny there was any gold, something I knew to be untrue, so the confrontation ended with Isaiah Morgan’s death.” John brushed aside the curtain and glanced outside before turning back to them. “It was an unfortunate consequence. One of us had to die, and it certainly wasn’t going to be me. I figure he had to have told one of you about the money.”
“I trusted you. I told you…” Truth dawned on Lily’s face. “I told you everything.”
Catherine’s stomach tightened. Unbeknownst to Lily, she’d become the perfect turncoat.
John’s chilling smile was back. “You were very helpful.”
Lily rose from her seat. “I think I might know where the money is.”
“Lily, don’t…” Catherine began.
“Where is it?” John stood in front of Lily. All his charm and charisma had disappeared, and in its place surfaced the man who’d just confessed to killing Isaiah Morgan.
God, please help us.
“My father,” Lily began. “He…he never told me he’d struck it rich, but he did say several things that made me wonder if there was more to his return than simply a change of heart.”
Emily’s face reddened as she squeezed Catherine’s hand through another contraction.
“What are you talking about?” Catherine asked.
“He said he had plans to expand the store and the house,” Lily continued. “To travel back East to see his mother’s family.”
John smiled. “All things that take money.”
Catherine tried to absorb her sister’s words. The thought that their father had returned to Revenge for reasons other than the fact that he simply wanted to make things right stung. Surely Lily was wrong.
Forgiveness is a choice.
Catherine’s jaw tensed. Forgiveness might be a choice, but it certainly wasn’t an easy one. Especially when her father had done little to deserve her forgiveness. And if he’d come back with a cache full of gold, he was the one responsible for this situation.
Not that she wanted his money. All any of them had ever wanted was his love. Maybe nothing truly mattered anymore, because now that he was dead she might never know the truth.
Except for the truth that, whatever he had, someone was willing to kill for it.
John clapped his hands together, drawing her back to the present. “Where’s the money, Lily?”
Lily closed her eyes and breathed slowly before opening them again. “I don’t know for sure—”
“I think you do.” He leaned into her until his face was merely inches from hers then ran his thumb down her cheek. “All you have to do is tell me where the money is, and I’ll let you go. I promise.”
Catherine caught the flicker of conflict in his eyes. John Guild—or William Marker—was a con man who knew how to woo a woman without involving his heart and who could shoot a man without thinking of the consequences of his actions. But was there a chance that he’d really cared for Lily? If he had, it was a card that could play in their favor.
“If there is any money,” Lily began, “it’s buried out behind Emily’s barn, near where they keep the ostriches. I saw him digging out there one day. He wouldn’t tell me what he was doing, but there’s a chance it’s there.”
“There’s still something I don’t understand. If he did strike gold, why would he hide it from us?” Emily spoke up for the first time. “Why the secrets?”
“Maybe he wasn’t hiding it from us.” Catherine turned back to John. “Maybe he was hiding it from those who wanted to get their hands on it. Let Emily and Lily go. I’ll come with you to find the money.”
John shook his head then grabbed Lily’s arm. “I don’t think so. I’m taking Lily with me as a guarantee that none of you follow.”
“I’ll go with him.” Lily pushed back her shoulders and raised her chin. “As long as you promise you’ll take whatever money is there and never come back.”
“Like his promises are worth anything.” Catherine clenched her hands beside her, wishing she’d shot him when she had the chance. A man like John Guild didn’t deserve to live.
“The sheriff knows who you are now,” Catherine began. “They’ll come after you. The smartest thing for you to do is get out of town…alone.”
“The sheriff’s injured, and it will take him hours to form a posse to come after me. And don’t try anything on your own. By then, I’ll have both the bank roll and your father’s gold and be halfway to the next county.”
There was no choice. Catherine watched her sister leave without another word. Once the door had shut, she rushed to the window, where John had a horse waiting out back. “We’ve got to stop this.”
Emily lay against the back of the settee. “What are we going to do? I’m about to have a baby, the sheriff’s been shot, and his best men are dead.”
Catherine stood at the window until the horse disappeared from the horizon. “We’ve got to come up with something.”
“What about Lily?” Emily asked.
“I saw the way he looked at her. I don’t think he’ll hurt her.”
“But we can’t just sit here and wait.”
“Of course not—”
Emily’s breathing quickened. “Catherine…”
Catherine closed her eyes and shot up another prayer for wisdom. “I’ll go signal Audrey and Mrs. Peal, and then I’m going after him.”
Emily cried out. “No, I can’t…you can’t leave me.”
“I’ll be right back. I promise.” Catherine’s heart pounded as she hurried into the storeroom to pull the shade. Lord, please don’t leave me to deliver this baby alone. I need Mrs. Peal now.
“Catherine? The baby’s not going to wait.”
Catherine hurried back into the house and squeezed her sister’s hand. “Audrey and Mrs. Peal should be here any minute. What do I do?”
This wasn’t good. All she knew about birthing babies was the little she remembered from the births of her sisters. Which was hardly anything. All she remembered was glimpses of her father pacing from the bottom of the stairwell.
“Boil some hot water and find some fresh towels,” Emily began.
That she could do. “Will you be all right for a minute?”
“Do I have a choice?”
Catherine rushed to the kitchen to start heating a large kettle of water and search for some clean linens. Her stomach tensed as she began pumping the water into the big iron pot. She’d spent her entire life fighting the odds and had no plans to quit now. She’d made that promise to her mother and now, more than ever, her sisters needed her. But she needed help, and a miracle.
A knock on the door had her hurrying across the room. Harrison stood on the threshold, dressed in his Sunday best and refusing to look her in the eye. “Is Audrey here?”
Catherine’s disappointment mounted. The last thing she felt like dealing with today was a love-sick suitor. Unless…
Catherine shook her head. “Audrey’s not here, but I need your help.”
“What’s wrong?”
“John Guild is the leader of the Masked Gang.”
“What?”
“There was a shootout in town an hour ago, Emily’s in labor, and John took Lily to the O’Conner farm as a hostage.”
Harrison’s face paled as he took in her words.
“Audrey’s gone to find the midwife because the doctor is in surgery.”
Harrison blinked. “What do you need me to do?”
Catherine nodded. That was more like it. “As soon as Audrey arrives with Mrs. Peal, I need you to go with me out to the ranch. I’ve got to make sure Lily is okay.”
Audrey and Mrs. Peal appeared behind Harrison. Catherine let out a sigh of relief.
“Thank God you’re here. There’s no time to explain, but I’ve got to go, and I need you to take care of Emily. The baby’s coming.”
“Catherine?” Audrey stepped into the house. “What are you talking about?”
Catherine grabbed her rifle from the top of the kitchen cabinet. “Harrison’s going with me to the farm. John’s taken Lily there.”
“Wait a minute.” Audrey grabbed Catherine’s arm. “What about the sheriff? You can’t do this on your own.”
“He’s in no shape to fight, and so help me I won’t let John do anything to Lily.”
Catherine rushed out the door ready to take on an army. And this time she wouldn’t hesitate to shoot.
Corbin forced himself to sit up then waited for the wave of dizziness to pass. He could do this. He had no choice. Catherine and her sisters’ lives were at stake, and he wasn’t going to let one lousy bullet stop him.
His shirt hung over a chair three feet away. The floor rolled beneath him, but he pushed himself off the bed anyway. Pain took over. He shoved it away. He had to find Catherine. She had no idea just how dangerous a man she was dealing with. William Marker had no conscience. And while Corbin might have lost his father to this madman, he had no intention of losing Catherine.
Catherine, with her rosy cheeks, hair the color of honey, and that sprinkle of freckles that always made him want to reach up and brush them away…
Her image gave him the extra burst of motivation he needed. He grabbed the shirt and managed to stuff his good arm into the sleeve, wincing at the stab of pain that shot across his shoulder. He clenched his teeth and worked to get his other arm into the sleeve.
Dr. Morrilton stepped into the room. He’d shed his bloodstained shirt and now wore a clean one. “Where in the world do you think you’re going?”
Corbin fumbled with a button, his injured arm still refusing to cooperate. “I’ve got a job to finish.”
“You’ve got two men dead and another one hanging on for his life. You’re not going anywhere, especially in your condition.”
Corbin pulled on his boot and ignored the searing pain in his shoulder. Thoughts of revenge pushed him on. Revenge for what had been done to his father. For what Marker had done to two of this town’s finest citizens, and for having ever involved Catherine…“I’ll be fine, because that’s exactly why I’m going. He’s not going to get away with this.”
“Then you’re a complete fool if you think you can go after the leader of that gang without getting yourself killed.”
Corbin managed the last button. Fool or not, he was going. “Miss Morgan went after the man who killed those men in the other room, and I’ve got to find her before he does the same thing to her.”
“So you love her?”
“Gonna ask her to marry me once this is over.”
The doctor cocked his head. “Something I can’t see you doing if you’re six feet under.”
Corbin steadied his feet then grabbed his hat off the dresser. “I’m going.”
“Fine. Suit yourself, but don’t blame me when your stubbornness gets you killed.”
“I’ll try to remember not to do that.”
Corbin walked out the door, feeling like an old man ready to meet his Maker.
Corbin pounded on Catherine’s door, praying he wasn’t too late. From what he’d seen, William Marker had never hesitated to put a bullet into anyone, and just because Catherine was a woman wasn’t going to make a difference. Audrey opened the door.
“Where’s Catherine?” Corbin barked as he stepped into the house.
Audrey dipped her chin. “You’re not going to like this.”
“Tell me what happened.”
Her face paled. “She rode out to the O’Conner farm to find John.”
“And you didn’t stop her?”
Audrey’s upper lip trembled. “What should I have done? I couldn’t leave Emily, but John took Lily. He thinks our father buried a stash of gold he found in Alaska.”
“And he wants it.” Corbin’s temper flared. That woman’s stubbornness was going to get her killed. “Did anyone go with her?”
Audrey nodded. “Harrison. You’ve got to help them please.”
“Where’s Grady?”
“Gone to Lancaster for the day. I wasn’t able to get a hold of him.”
“I want you to make some phone calls for me. Call the sheriff in Lancaster and explain everything that has happened.”
“Where are you going?”
“I’m going to rescue your sister.”